Meet Our 2016 NYLA-Dewey Award Winner

University at Albany's 2016 NYLA-Dewey Scholarship Award winner, Charlene Martoni, is no stranger to winning… and giving back to others.

Charlene Martoni pictured here with Professor Philip Eppard

Information Science student Charlene Martoni has been
selected as a recipient of the NYLA-Dewey Scholarship. This award of $1,000 is
sponsored by the Lake Placid Educational Foundation and the New York Library
Association. It is awarded each year to students pursuing a master’s degree in
a program in New York State that is accredited by the American Library
Association. Successful candidates are selected based on evidence of strong
scholarship, leadership, and a commitment to work in a library or library
system in New York State for at least two years after graduation. References
writing in support of Ms. Martone’s application for the award praised her
leadership and supervisory skills, one calling her “a bright, talented and
motivated leader in her field.”

“My main career aspiration is to support
marginalized and struggling people through library and information science, education,
and literature,” said Martone.

Charlene is no stranger to triumph, and her
desire to give back to her community extends far beyond her professional aspirations. Since recovering from cancer, she has participated in the annual
Brooklyn TEAL Walk for Ovarian Cancer. She explains, “I do this because I feel
that, as a survivor, it is my responsibility to spread awareness and support
research about ovarian cancer so that other people have a higher chance of
early diagnosis like I had.”

Charlene is currently enrolled in the dual master’s program
in information science and English. Within the M.S.I.S. program, she is in the
school library media specialist track. She works as the Evening and Weekend
Circulation Supervisor, Social Media Manager, and Textbook Collection Manager
for the Sojourner Truth Library at SUNY New Paltz, where she did her
undergraduate work. Charlene also worked at the Sojourner Truth Library while
an undergraduate. She serves as a volunteer on the One Book/One New Paltz
committee as a library representative and was the committee chair in 2015 and
2016. Her hobbies include reading
nonfiction books and memoirs. She says, “I'm always looking to learn something
new and understand the world from others' perspectives.”